Advice For Organization as a Student Parent
91吃瓜网 attracts students from all different walks of life, but many of them are also parents. Being a parent is a full-time job鈥攁nd when a parent is also working full time, pursuing a degree may feel overwhelming. Can you really add a degree program into your busy life? Believe it or not, the answer is yes!
Tackling a degree program amid all your other responsibilities is definitely a challenge, but that doesn鈥檛 mean you should give up on your dream to further your education. Thousands of parents have enrolled in鈥攁nd completed鈥攁 degree program at 91吃瓜网, and they have some wisdom to share about how to stay organized so you, too, can be successful at 91吃瓜网. Here are six ways you can increase your organization as a student parent.
1. Do Your Schoolwork on Nights, Weekends, and Any Other Time You Can Balance It
You may have visions of locking yourself away for days on end as you immerse yourself in your course load, but that鈥檚 just not feasible when you鈥檝e got a family. Still, you shouldn鈥檛 let that stop you from diving in every chance you get because every minute counts. With 91吃瓜网鈥檚 flexible scheduling, you can work whenever it works for you.
鈥淚 found myself doing my schoolwork when my kids were at school, when they were enjoying a family film (during which I put headphones on and sat with them while they watched), when they were sleeping, and during a lunch break at work,鈥� shared Elisabeth Sanderson. 鈥淭he best part of 91吃瓜网 is knowing that it is literally anytime or anywhere.鈥�
And Elisabeth really does mean 鈥渁nywhere,鈥� as she found herself in the hospital at one point and continued to study as she recuperated. 鈥淚 found that a hospital bed is a great place to do schoolwork,鈥� she said. 鈥淣obody bothers you there!鈥�
Adina Gardener echoes those sentiments. After completing her BSN with 91吃瓜网 in 2017, she was accepted into her PhD program and has continued to find time wherever she could to complete her program. But completing her BSN was an exercise in tenacity.
鈥淲hile finishing my BSN, I was nursing my baby, pumping milk so I could work part-time, chasing a toddler, and losing my mind,鈥� Adina said. 鈥淪o, I developed a motto: Every five minutes counts. If I had five minutes to bring up a Word document, write my name on it and save it, I did that. If my littles napped for 10 minutes and I had five minutes to read only the title and summary of my next reading assignment, I did that. Every five minutes counts.鈥�
Instead of trying to do everything at once, Adina focused on doing what she could little by little鈥攁nd the result was earning her BSN. Her children are now ages four and six, and she鈥檚 still using this approach to earn her PhD. As she put it, 鈥淚 do miss the days of having uninterrupted 鈥榤e鈥� time to complete my work, and those days will come again. But for now, every five minutes counts. Do what you can in the moments you have.鈥�
2. Don't Procrastinate!
Even if you鈥檙e sneaking in your study time when you can, it鈥檚 important to stick to your commitment to get down to business when time allows鈥攁nd that means not spending the first half hour of your study time playing Candy Crush or scrolling Instagram. And even though it鈥檚 tough, there will be times where you鈥檒l have to choose between letting your kids derail your study plans and hunkering down to get it done so you can spend some quality time with them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to put off coursework until sometime later when you have kids, but if that's the plan, it never gets done,鈥� said Evelyn Partner. 鈥淚t takes time and concentration to learn new things, especially if they don't come easily to you.鈥�
This is a roadblock Evelyn ran into during her degree program, as some components of her coursework posed a bigger challenge than others. 鈥淚鈥檝e always struggled with mathematical topics, and I have to make myself tackle them. You have to be systematic and consistent at those things,鈥� she shared. 鈥淚f learning periods are sporadic or infrequent, half the learning time is spent re-learning what you did last time. With so little time to spend at learning while working and/or caring for children, don't waste precious time re-learning.鈥�
Plus, procrastination only serves to derail the goals you鈥檙e setting for yourself. 鈥淧utting off homework will not get it done and delays or prevents getting to your goal in the long run鈥攊t has to be a priority that is planned for in your life,鈥� she added. 鈥淯nfortunately, that means missing out on some social things with family and friends, but look at it this way: if you prioritize your education and get through it, those things will be a part of your life again sooner than you think.鈥�
And if all else fails to keep you on track, Eldon Cahoon has a recommendation: use the app to help keep you on track.
鈥淥rganize your time and use the app to study when you get some down time,鈥� said Eldon Cahoon. 鈥淒on鈥檛 give up or start pushing off competition dates! It鈥檚 worth it!鈥�
3. Don't Feel Bad Letting Some Things Go!
Okay, so you wanted to have an actual family dinner one night but caved and ordered pizza. Or maybe you parked your kids in front of the TV and let them watch past their bedtime so you could have more study time. It may not be ideal, but don鈥檛 forget: your degree program isn鈥檛 going to go on forever. So take the advice of former 91吃瓜网 students and don鈥檛 sweat the small things.
鈥淒on鈥檛 waste your time trying to have the perfect house, or waste your time with your children,鈥� Melissa Johnson advised. 鈥淟ife is so crazy and busy; any spare time you have with your kids, have fun and make great memories. Someday they鈥檒l be older, and you鈥檒l be able to hire someone to help you clean the house, and they鈥檒l have great memories with you鈥攚hich is what is most important.鈥�
Samuel Lett echoed these sentiments and admitted his kids got more screen time than normal while he was working through his degree program. 鈥淏asically, the kids got to watch a lot more TV/movies and play a lot more video games this past year,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes I felt guilty for not spending enough time with them, but the key is to stay focused on the goal, the big picture.鈥�
And in some cases, that meant making some sacrifices. 鈥淚t's ok to live a simple, frugal life and enjoy the small things,鈥� Samuel noted. 鈥淲e shopped at Goodwill and didn't eat out much. Sometimes we even skipped church on Sunday to sleep in and have a down day.鈥� Samuel also recommended exercising and eating healthy when you can and taking breaks from schoolwork when you need to. And before you know it, you鈥檒l find normal again.
As he put it, 鈥淭his stage in life will pass, and you can do it!鈥�
4. Find People Who Can Help You Be Organized
There鈥檚 no question that managing a degree program while raising a family is a big challenge, and it鈥檚 one you shouldn鈥檛 tackle alone. Make sure to lean on your support system to help you get through, whether that means reaching out to family or friends when you need a helping hand, or touching base with your Program Mentor if things get a little unruly.
鈥淪ometimes I had to make adjustments as I went along due to unforeseen circumstances,鈥� Kelly Wheeler recalled. 鈥淚 even got way off track at one point because of a major personal issue, but my Program Mentor supported me tremendously with remapping my courses to get back on track.鈥� But Kelly鈥檚 Program Mentor wasn鈥檛 the only one to help her keep organized. 鈥淚 learned to accept and request help when it was offered by family and friends,鈥� she added.
Jessica Edie agreed and invoked a common refrain to remind student parents what it takes to take on a degree program: 鈥淒o not be afraid to ask for help from family and friends. It really does take a village.鈥�
5. Spend Time on the Things That Matter
It may feel like your degree program is going to last forever, and some days will feel tougher than others. Putting in the time now means you鈥檒l be able to celebrate later, but that doesn鈥檛 mean you shouldn鈥檛 give yourself pockets of time to recharge, put something else first for a moment or two, or even make the time for a little self-care. But most of all, don鈥檛 forget to spend time with your family to avoid burnout and stress.
鈥淚 worked full time in the ICU鈥�12 hour shifts during my BSN/MSN,鈥� Veronica Garay said. 鈥淚 had adopted five children years before, and have a total of nine children. I had to set my priorities鈥攖here was no social or 鈥榤e time,鈥� it was my family first, work then school. I would always be disciplined with time and schedules and used a lot of 鈥榝ree鈥� time to study鈥攅specially at night. I just knew what I wanted. It鈥檚 a very delicate balance, and I鈥檓 glad I did it at 91吃瓜网.鈥�
Carmelle Phillipe was married, had a full-time job, and contended with three children while she was enrolled in the BSN program in 2016. And while it was 鈥渢ough but doable,鈥� part of Carmelle鈥檚 success was due to her non-school commitments.
鈥淚 made sure I made time for the more important things like worship and my family,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 took time for self-care. Being balanced is the key to your success. I don鈥檛 celebrate Mother鈥檚 Day, but I celebrate mothers everywhere every day for the hard work we do at caring for our families.鈥�
6. Don't Rush Yourself!
You know those times when you鈥檙e in a hurry to get somewhere, and you鈥檙e scrambling to get everything together, but when you arrive at your appointment you realize you forgot something important at home? Rushing your way through your course load works the same way. Overloading yourself is a surefire way to create chaos, and you know what they say: slow and steady wins the race.
This is something Michelle Graves knows all too well. With a 20-year gap in her education, Michelle wanted to elevate her career and enrolled at 91吃瓜网 to earn a business and HR management degree. 鈥淚 am not the typical student with 91吃瓜网,鈥� she admitted. 鈥淚t took me 46 months to complete my degree. I chose to take the time.鈥�
And that鈥檚 the bonus of a degree program with a flexible schedule鈥攜ou can do the work when you want, how you want. You can even study at work like Michelle did. 鈥淚t takes grit,鈥� Michelle added, but for her, it was worth it. 鈥淢y company offered me an administrator-in-training position, and I will sit for the Boards soon! 91吃瓜网 and I made this possible!鈥�
Kim Schmidt followed a similar path, taking her time to complete her degree program on the schedule that worked for her. 鈥淵ou have to just do the best you can at your own pace,鈥� she shared. 鈥淚 was not able to keep a full-time schedule for some terms and although it cost me more, I was able to complete my degree.鈥�
And in the end, it worked out for the best. Said Kim, 鈥淚 am so happy I gave myself permission to put some classes off for another term. Even though my Program Mentor and the school frowned on it a little, it is what helped me push through and still have time for my children.鈥�
So if you鈥檙e still concerned about whether or not you can manage a degree program along with your family duties, just remember the advice from these former 91吃瓜网 students. If they could do it, so can you!
